The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has announced the immediate dismantling of the controversial ‘Park and Pay’ scheme operating in Abuja. The announcement was made during a live media parley on Wednesday, marking Wike’s one year in office.
Wike revealed that the scheme had been siphoning government funds through an imbalanced revenue-sharing arrangement, where private consultants took 80% of the earnings, leaving the FCT Administration with a mere 20%. The minister expressed his dismay at the situation, which came to light following a tip-off from a senior advocate.
“The call from a senior advocate highlighted a scheme that has been operating under the radar, siphoning funds that should rightfully belong to the government,” Wike stated. “These are the kinds of issues we need to address within our system. Sometimes, if you don’t bring them to our attention, we may not know. We can’t be everywhere.”
Wike recounted how the incident unfolded when the senior advocate contacted him with concerns about the ‘Park and Pay’ operation. “A senior advocate reached out to me with a troubling report. He said, ‘Sir, some people came to our office and are trying to seize our cars. They claim to be from the Transport Secretariat.’ I asked him to give the person the phone, and I asked, ‘Who are you?’ The person said he was from ‘Park and Pay from the Transport Secretariat.'”
Unaware of the scheme’s existence, Wike immediately sought clarification. “I wasn’t aware of this, so I called the person in charge. I asked, ‘Who collects the money?’ It turns out there were agreements between the secretariat and some people who claimed to be consultants. The consultant took 80%, and the FCT administration took 20%,” he explained.
Wike’s discovery has sparked a broader discussion about transparency and accountability within the FCT’s operations. He made it clear that such activities are illegal and vowed to take immediate action to dismantle the scheme. “This is illegal, and nothing like that exists. If my colleague hadn’t called me, I wouldn’t have known,” he emphasized.
The minister’s swift response is expected to lead to a comprehensive investigation into similar practices across the FCT. This move aims to protect government revenues and ensure that such exploitation by unscrupulous actors is brought to an end. Wike’s actions have been widely praised as a necessary step toward greater transparency and integrity in the administration of the nation’s capital.
